Racism lurks in names given to plants and animals. That’s starting to change

Science News ^ | Jaime Chambers

[ConservativeStatement]

With lemon and black plumage, the Scott’s oriole flashes in the desert like a flame. But the bird’s name holds a violent history that Stephen Hampton can’t forget. He used to see the orioles often, living in California. Now that he lives outside the bird’s range, “I’m kind of relieved,” he says.

Hampton is a birder and registered citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Winfield Scott, a U.S. military commander and the bird’s namesake, drove Hampton’s ancestors and other Native Americans from their land in the 1800s during a series of forced marches now known as the Trail of Tears. The journey killed over 4,000 Cherokee, displacing as many as 100,000 people in the end.

[FroedrickVonFreepenstein]

Let’s just name everything Bob.

[mfish13]

I think one of them is called Fred. Isn’t that a racist name?

[gundog]

Sadly, I’m pretty sure they can.

[nuconvert]

Oh, thank goodness. Now I can sleep at night.

[Viking2002]

My wife’s grandfather and grandmother were full blood and half Cherokee from Georgia, respectively. They lived on a reservation out in Oklahoma, I believe she said. Her response to all this Woke native tribalism is, “Talk to the hand.” It’s a fart in a hurricane to her, and she’s had a bellyful.

[aquila48]

Bookmark

[moonhawk]

They should name a plant something like “Buckwheat.”

Oh, wait...

[wingnut1971]

That doesn’t work for me. Those are ARABIC numbers and they trigger memories of 9-11.

[jmcenanly]

I don’t think that the bird in question either knows or cares about what humans call it.

[Glad2bnuts]

Cynical Theories, thanks for that I will attempt to read this.

[SunkenCiv]

[Vision]

“Racism lurks in names given to plants and animals.”

But not in CRT. /s

[Red Badger]

Give them time..............

Eventually the Titmouse and Black Swans will have to be called something else.................

[Red Badger]

ISWYDT.....................

[null and void]

To nip all this ridiculous crap, it would be best to reassign all species an arbitrary number. This is the Borg identification system. This bird for example can be species 847-6224-42. Catchy, isn’t it.

Math is hard.

Numbers are a racist way of keeping POC repressed.

[attiladhun2]

Hampton ought to confront the Cherokee nation’s own sorted past. Cherokees kept slaves, sided with the Confederacy, did not free slaves until over a year after the Civil war, and refused tribal citizenship for freed slaves.

[null and void]

They should name a plant something like “Buckwheat.”

When ground into flower it becomes doewheat, sometimes spelt doughwheat...

[null and void]

They’re just called “arabic” numbers. The arabs stole them from the Hindus.

[JimRed]

Oriole...wasn’t she one of Sapphire’s girlfriends in the old Amos n’ Andy series?

[Jaded]

I’d prefer 867-5309